(Dodge County) The Dodge County sheriff is urging motorists and farm vehicle operators to drive safely this harvest season. Dale Schmidt says we need to share the roadway.
“[Farmers] got a lot of big machinery and most of the time if you get into a crash with them…it’s not going to be good for you because their machinery is a lot more durable and larger,” says Schmidt. “We need to share that road…we need to allow them to do their jobs…we talk about this every fall. There’s going to be a lot of combines and tractors out there…semis that are hauling for them…and we need to share that road…be courteous to one another.”
Other tips for the motoring public include scanning the road ahead and be ready to slow down when you see slow-moving farm vehicles and be patient and cautious if deciding to pass, which is illegal to do in a no passing zone.
Schmidt also encourages farmers to be courteous to vehicles when they have the opportunity to pass.
“There’s a lot of different misnomers out there about farmers have the right to be out in the middle of road…that’s not the case…farmers do have to yield the right of way to faster vehicle that are approaching…when they’re able to,” says Schmidt. “I’m not saying you got to drive down into the ditch where it’s not safe to do that but if you’re able to get off the road to allow traffic to go by you need to do that. Can’t allow seven, eight, nine, ten cars…I’ve seen thirty cars backed up…you can’t do that.”
Agriculture supports more than 435,000 jobs and contributes more than $104-billion annually as a cornerstone in Wisconsin’s economy. With 64,100 farms on 14.2 million acres, drivers and farm vehicle operators are likely to encounter each other on roadways in all 72 counties. The sheriff says that each can do their part to make roads safer this harvest season.
